The diversity of UK wildlife is more than matched by the diversity of UK art collections. This curation supplements the BBC series 'Wild Isles', produced in partnership with The Open University, by bringing together a collection of art works representing some of the animals and plants that feature within the five episodes.

To read about the process of putting together this curation see: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/where-are-the-sea-slugs-wild-isles-in-art

To read more about 'Wild Isles' see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0f0t5dp and https://connect.open.ac.uk/wildisles

Artists featured in this Curation: Alexander Francis Lydon (1836/1837–1917), Peter Boex (b.1952), Peter Graham (1836–1921), Norman Adams (1927–2005), John Houston (1930–2008), Joseph Thorburn Ross (1849–1903), unknown artist, Alfred Balding (1858–1915), Maureen Finn, Eleazar Albin, and 56 more See all

70 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

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Photo credit: Penlee House Gallery & Museum

Episode One: Our Precious Isles

Gannet
Alexander Francis Lydon (1836/1837–1917)
Ink on paper
H 12 x W 18 cm
Penlee House Gallery & Museum

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Oil Spill Gannet 1990
Peter Boex (b.1952)
Wood
Museum of Cornish Life, Helston

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Photo credit: Glasgow Life Museums

Where Gannets Build 1896
Peter Graham (1836–1921)
Oil on canvas
H 172.7 x W 129.5 cm
Glasgow Life Museums

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Black Rainbow and Gannets 1970
Norman Adams (1927–2005)
Oil on canvas
H 139 x W 126 cm
Lakeland Arts

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Towards the Bass Rock
John Houston (1930–2008)
Oil on canvas
H 85.3 x W 110.5 cm
Heriot-Watt University

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Photo credit: National Galleries of Scotland

The Bass Rock c.1900
Joseph Thorburn Ross (1849–1903)
Oil on canvas
H 147.8 x W 147.8 cm
National Galleries of Scotland

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Puffin Posts
unknown artist

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Photo credit: Wisbech & Fenland Museum

Four Natives of Ancient Britain, Daffodils, Narcissi, Lily of the Valley and Bluebells 1913
Alfred Balding (1858–1915)
Oil on canvas
H 29 x W 19 cm
Wisbech & Fenland Museum

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Flying Puffin 1995
Maureen Finn
Mixed media on paper
H 64 x W 83 cm
Art in Healthcare

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Photo credit: John Rylands Research Institute and Library

Golden Eagle 1734
Eleazar Albin (active 1713–1759)
Engraving
John Rylands Research Institute and Library

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Trees and Bluebells in a Hilly Landscape*
Winifred Nicholson (1893–1981)
Oil on canvas
H 51 x W 51 cm
Kettle's Yard, University of Cambridge

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Bluebells, Cornflowers and Rhododendrons 1945
Stanley Spencer (1891–1959)
Oil on canvas
H 50.8 x W 76.2 cm
British Council Collection

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Photo credit: Royal Holloway, University of London

Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies late 19th C–early 20th C
Christiana Jane Herringham (1852–1929)
Pencil, watercolour & gouache on paper
H 36.8 x W 53.7 cm
Royal Holloway, University of London

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Flying Colours 2006
Tracey Chambers (b.1963)
Acrylic on canvas
H 50.6 x W 50.6 cm
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Episode Two: Woodland

Wild Boar 1961
Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993)
Bronze
H 91.8 x W 123 x D 21.5 cm
Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery

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Bird in the Wilderness
Jack Knox (1936–2015)
Oil on board
H 108 x W 109.4 cm
The Scottish Government

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Photo credit: The National Gallery, London

A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling (Anne Lovell?) about 1526-8
Hans Holbein the younger (c.1497–1543)
Oil on oak
H 56 x W 38.8 cm
The National Gallery, London

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Beckenham Park Squirrel
unknown artist
Stone
H 157 x W 85 x D 120 cm

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Photo credit: Robert H Taylor / Art UK

Decorated Architectural Detail and Capitals 1911
unknown artist
Stone
H 20 x W 30 cm

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Gwiwer Goch / Red Squirrel 1960–1970
Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe (1901–1979)
Pensil, inc, dyfrlliw a sialc ar bapur / pencil, ink, watercolour & chalk on paper
H 39.4 x W 55.3 cm
Oriel Môn

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Red Squirrels
Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe (1901–1979)
Oil on canvas
H 76 x W 63.5 cm
Silk Heritage Trust

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Roe in Snow 1970
Ernst Doenges (active 20th C)
Oil on canvas
H 45 x W 60 cm
National Museums NI

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A Clearing in the Wood 1942–1945
Eliot Hodgkin (1905–1987)
Tempera on board
H 39.7 x W 30.5 cm
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

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Parasitic Fungi (Nyctalis Species) Growing on Decayed Russula Fungi 1889
R. Baker (active 1887–1906)
Watercolour on paper (?)
H 19 x W 27.1 cm
Wellcome Collection

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Peregrine Falcon
Rowland Wright Alston (1895–1958)
Oil on board
H 54.5 x W 40.5 cm
The Collection: Art & Archaeology in Lincolnshire (Usher Gallery)

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Photo credit: The Courtauld

Starling 1797
Thomas Bewick (1753–1828)
Graphite & watercolour on paper
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

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Starlings Coming in to Roost 1971
Jimmy Floyd (1898–1974)
Oil on canvas board
H 40 x W 65.4 cm
Woodhorn Museum

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Episode Three: Grasslands

Flowers, Insects and Snail
Maddie Owens
Acrylic on canvas
H 100 x W 100 cm
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

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Photo credit: The National Gallery, London

Butterflies, Moths and Insects with Sprays of Common Hawthorn and Forget-Me-Not 1654
Jan van Kessel the elder (1626–1679)
Oil on wood
H 11.8 x W 14.7 cm
The National Gallery, London

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The Old Bee 1928
Katharine Cameron (1874–1965)
Etching on paper
H 15 x W 12.4 cm
National Galleries of Scotland

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Roath Park Bee
Chris Wood (b.1954)
Wood & metal

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Hare
Jenefer Peter (active 1960)
Polyphant stone
H 16 x W 46.5 x D 18 cm
The Box, Plymouth

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Boxing Hares 2007
Laura Antebi (b.1963)
Wire
H 130 x W 81 x D 50 cm
New Lanark Trust

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Orchid and Butterfly 2009
Brian Russell (b.1952)
Steel & paint
H 400 cm

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Photo credit: National Trust Images

A Vase of Flowers with an Owl and a Lapwing
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 99.1 x W 91.4 cm
National Trust, Tintinhull

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Photo credit: Tate

Foxgloves and Brambles, with a Hawk Confronting an Adder 1814
Thomas Weaver (1774–1843)
Oil on canvas
H 111.8 x W 94.3 cm
Tate

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Red Deer 1990
Peter Doig (b.1959)
Oil on canvas
H 237.5 x W 182.6 cm
Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre

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Photo credit: Perth & Kinross Council

Red Deer
John Sydney Steel (1863–1932)
Oil on board
H 24.1 x W 33 cm
Perth & Kinross Council

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The Child in the Park 2000
John Doubleday (b.1947)
Bronze

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Episode Four: Freshwater

Toad 2007
John McKenna (b.1964)
Bronze
H 7 x W 11.5 x D 11.5 cm
New Lanark Trust

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Tea Toadler Teapot c.2015
Michelle Erickson (b.1960)
Agate, earthenware, porcelain, indigenous clay & gold enamel
W 21 x D 17 cm
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

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